Heat Cool Air
Notable competition In 2022, Frigidaire released the FHPW122AC1, a slightly more affordable alternative to the Frigidaire Gallery Cool Connect we recommend. It’s a little louder than our also-great pick (about 5 decibels, on average) and doesn’t have quite the same thoughtful bells and whistles we enjoyed, but otherwise it performed nearly as well as the Cool Connect. If you want to save $100 and don’t mind sacrificing a few little luxuries (including the noise), this could be a good alternative.climatisation We tested several new Honeywell models in 2022 as well, having previously recommended the company’s HL14CES as an also-great until it was discontinued. The Honeywell MN4CFSWW9 looks like an upgrade to that older model, with even more power than we usually recommend — 14,000 BTUs, or the equivalent of a 9,000 SACC rating by the newer DOE standards. And it’s definitely a powerful beast, with the kind of fan that you can still feel blowing on your skin from 15 feet away. But it was also louder than we’d like, and occasionally made a sound like a high-pitched bug zapper. We prefer a little less power if it means more comfort. We also tried the Honeywell MN4HFS9, which is essentially the same model with an added heat pump. We dismissed it for the same reasons, too; but if you happen to have a living situation where you need year-round climate control and don’t mind having a portable AC taking up floor space all the time, it could be a decent alternative to a more permanent installation. It’s no substitute for an actual heat pump though. Finally, we considered the Honeywell MO08CESWB6 as a potential budget pick. While it was slightly quieter than our current budget pick, it also wasn’t as powerful. So we’re sticking with the Black+Decker, and you should, too. The biggest appeal of the Lowe’s-exclusive GE APWD07JASG is that you can configure it as a single-hose model out of the box or turn it into a dual-hose AC with the help of an $80 conversion kit. The process is simple, and we tested it in both configurations, both of which proved to be the epitome of “fine.” It was quieter than a lot of other portable ACs (with the dual-hose version registering 2 to 3 decibels quieter on average than the single-hose setup) but still nothing compared with the ACs we ended up recommending. But even with an SACC rating of 7,500 Btu per hour, it struggled to make the room any cooler than 70 degrees (even though the thermostat went lower than that). It has all the smart-home connectivity you might need, and all of the buttons and features are clearly labeled and accessible and right where you might expect them. It looks and feels sort of budget, but the cost isn’t low enough to justify our choosing it as a budget pick. The best thing we took away from our tests was the chance at a direct comparison between a single-hose design and a dual-hose design that were otherwise identical, and our experience confirmed our suspicions that dual-hose portable ACs are slightly more effective than single-hose models but not effective enough to make a real difference (unless you’re in a situation with a potentially dangerous carbon monoxide downdraft, as mentioned above).